Normally zombie games get boring quick for me, but this was an exception. It's a little hard to get started at first, but once you start unlocking more skills, you only become more and more mobile and can try new strategies to either fight or parkour past the undead. Right now one of my favorite ways of getting around Harran is to swing from rooftop to rooftop with a grappling hook while picking bandits with a crossbow from afar. Another technique I really like is to "disguise" yourself as a zombie (think Walking Dead) and move through the horde in the streets. Another underrated aspect is the focus on melee weapons; in the first half of the main game, guns are difficult to find and are much riskier to use (guns are loud, naturally) and there's only a small selection of firearms to choose from until you make it to the countryside in the DLC. Instead, you have to rely on everything from common tools and household items --pipes, hammers, wrenches, kitchen knives, etc-- to more purpose-built weapons --axes, machetes, bows/arrows, throwing knives, police batons, even old swords. The crafting/weapon upgrade system allows you to make some really sinister, almost over-the-top modifications to there, allowing you to add elemental effects to these weapons such as fire, poison, and electricity (sometimes several on one weapon).

Once you get to The Following, the DLC that concludes the story, the mobility just opens up even more. Moving from cramped city streets to a wide-open countryside, you now have a lot of new weapons and a drivable dune buggy to help you get around Harran's countryside. Most of the new weapons are firearms, and while their rarity was necessary in the main game, the more open landscapes of The Following is much more conducive to gunfighting, and this part of the game features new shotguns, revolvers, an Uzi, and a kickass crossbow. The dune buggy is more than just a means of transport; it's a game mechanic in and of itself with its own skill tree that comes with some inventive upgrades like a UV lightbar (almost necessary for night driving), a mine dispenser, fortified roll cages and ramming bars, a mounted flamethrower, etc. Where driving in most first-person games is hit-or-miss and often just a gimmick to break up the action, driving in The Following has its own minor learning curve, and learning the quirks of the buggy and its skill tree is rewarding in the same way that developing parkour skills is in the main game.

I haven't finished either the main campaign or the following yet, and I'm nearly 40 hours into the game so far. Where I get bored of most modern games quickly, Dying Light keeps me coming back and still has a lot more to offer me. Overall, one of the best gaming experiences I've had in a hot minute (read: years) and my only regret is that I'm five years late to the party. Better late than never, though... pick up a copy and see for yourself!

Normally zombie games get boring quick for me, but this was an exception. It's a little hard to get started at first, but once you start unlocking more skills, you only become more and more mobile and can try new strategies to either fight or parkour past the undead. Right now one of my favorite ways of getting around Harran is to swing from rooftop to rooftop with a grappling hook while picking bandits with a crossbow from afar. Another technique I really like is to "disguise" yourself as a zombie (think Walking Dead) and move through the horde in the streets. Another underrated aspect is the focus on melee weapons; in the first half of the main game, guns are difficult to find and are much riskier to use (guns are loud, naturally) and there's only a small selection of firearms to choose from until you make it to the countryside in the DLC. Instead, you have to rely on everything from common tools and household items --pipes, hammers, wrenches, kitchen knives, etc-- to more purpose-built weapons --axes, machetes, bows/arrows, throwing knives, police batons, even old swords. The crafting/weapon upgrade system allows you to make some really sinister, almost over-the-top modifications to there, allowing you to add elemental effects to these weapons such as fire, poison, and electricity (sometimes several on one weapon). Once you get to The Following, the DLC that concludes the story, the mobility just opens up even more. Moving from cramped city streets to a wide-open countryside, you now have a lot of new weapons and a drivable dune buggy to help you get around Harran's countryside. Most of the new weapons are firearms, and while their rarity was necessary in the main game, the more open landscapes of The Following is much more conducive to gunfighting, and this part of the game features new shotguns, revolvers, an Uzi, and a kickass crossbow. The dune buggy is more than just a means of transport; it's a game mechanic in and of itself with its own skill tree that comes with some inventive upgrades like a UV lightbar (almost necessary for night driving), a mine dispenser, fortified roll cages and ramming bars, a mounted flamethrower, etc. Where driving in most first-person games is hit-or-miss and often just a gimmick to break up the action, driving in The Following has its own minor learning curve, and learning the quirks of the buggy and its skill tree is rewarding in the same way that developing parkour skills is in the main game. I haven't finished either the main campaign or the following yet, and I'm nearly 40 hours into the game so far. Where I get bored of most modern games quickly, Dying Light keeps me coming back and still has a lot more to offer me. Overall, one of the best gaming experiences I've had in a hot minute (read: years) and my only regret is that I'm five years late to the party. Better late than never, though... pick up a copy and see for yourself!